Thursday, May 22, 2014

YouTube Channel Profile Series: 5150DOA's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly look at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least a 50% ratio of local metal/hard rock videos! This monthly feature series takes us back to Sault Michigan this month for the third time in 5 months, and it's courtesy of a very talented local metal musician who's been in some familiar recent bands, so read on below for this month's profile!
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5150DOA's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/5150doa)

Owner:415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, also known from prior stints with Nixxon Dixxon, Splitshot, and Trail's End

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 19th, 2011; Videos posted from June 2011 through May 2013

Channel Summary: A personal use channel, Chris' channel draws a heavy inspiration from Van Halen, with all of his videos involving the legendary hard rock band in some form. His first six videos from May 2011 are solo guitar covers of Van Halen songs, while 8 of his more recent uploads were from Van Halen concerts attended in early 2012 in Auburn Hills, Michigan and St. Paul, Minnesota. Chris' other 4 videos include 3 clips showcasing his EVH and customized guitars, and one of him playing the drums.

Why Should You Watch: I'd give Chris' channel a look for some very solid guitar covers and live concert footage, especially if you love David Lee Roth-era Van Halen (though two of his covers are of Sammy Hagar-era material.) He's very talented, and has a clear love and respect for Van Halen, which are a good combination! For reference, Chris has not visibly used this channel since last year, and while he has no videos of any of his band work here, his mother's YouTube channel features a nice amount of videos from older Nixxon Dixxon concerts.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Van Halen "Panama" cover Kramer 5150: With over 27,000 views, this is Chris' most popular YouTube video at present. Posted on June 2nd, 2011, it's a cover of Van Halen's "Panama" on his custom Kramer 5150 guitar. Very well performed, the video could be a bit lighter, but he has a very nice grasp on this Van Halen classic and plays it very proficiently! Die-hard Van Halen fans should be impressed, but be sure to give his 5 other guitar covers a look for more examples.

My Homemade Van Halen EVH Frankenstein Replica Guitar (see description): Of Chris' three early-2012 videos showcasing his Eddie Van Halen guitar customizations (including an Ernie Ball OLP customization & this EVH Charvel Star replica), this video will be most familiar to casual fans, as it showcases Chris' custom replica of Eddie's legendary Frankenstein guitar, complete with a detailed breakdown of used parts and techniques. Set to Van Halen instrumental tracks with no vocal descriptions, you can still see the work that he put in, and it definitely looks the part of an EVH original! Note that Chris teased many more custom guitar videos, including of his Kramer 5150, but only the three made it to his channel.

Alex Van Halen Snare Sound / Ludwig LM402 snare drum: Chris' last performance video from May 2012 is uniquely of him drumming, mainly on his Ludwig LM402 snare drum (the same type that Alex Van Halen uses), though he gradually transitions to playing the entire kit. Though you can barely see Chris beyond his hands and knee, he does show clear drumming talent here, the sound is close to Alex's own playing, and it'd be interesting to hear Chris cover a full Van Halen song on drums!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for our third straight single-channel profile, as through 100% random selection, I have chosen defunct local metal band Alter White's YouTube channel, featuring songs from them and former guitarist Mike Matthews' later solo work! Watch out for that on or around June 22nd, and stay tuned for our review of Jack Spades' debut EP on Saturday! Thanks everyone!